Real Life ‘Lost In Space’ Truck Roams The World

It does look like something out of a sci-fi movie. And for that reason alone, we couldn’t resist interest. A conversation starter, to say the least, the ZaiTruck is an all-terrain, all-purpose mobile laboratory, studio, and office truck, constructed on an 18-ton military 6×6 MAN KAT chassis and powered by a Magirus Deutz V-10 engine. It’s the creation of ZaiLab, a next-generation software company specializing in contact centre software.

As futuristic as the ZaiTruck looks, it’s actually packed with the functionality of an RV and full of fun features you’d most likely see on SEMA vehicles. Hydraulic cylinders open the front cockpit, lift the rear capsule ceiling, and open all the doors in the capsule.

Like an RV with slideouts, the capsule roof lifts over 30 inches, the side panels open upward to form a canopy, and the lower portions of the side panels extend downward to form a floor. It has a full kitchen with 17-gallon freshwater and grey water tanks and a full media centre with a 55-inch screen, connected PC, sound system, and more.

Four cameras provide visibility for the driver and are displayed on two 22-inch touch monitors to the left and right of the driver. The Corian-finished dashboard is fully digital and features custom software. Four 125W solar panels feed into a 4-kWh deep-cycle battery.

Why does the ZaiTruck exist? Simply put, ZaiLab founder Nour Addine Ayyoub wanted to do something that hasn’t been done before and was up for the challenge. Like many innovators, he’s a proponent of the think-it-and-it-will-exist philosophy.

It’s also a larger-than-life mascot and innovative marketing campaign for a technology company that we truck people would otherwise be unaware existed. It serves as a conversation starter for the half-dozen crew members on board while fully demonstrating the company’s software at expos and locations worldwide. “Brick-and-mortar contact centres are a dying trend and cloud-based solutions are dominating the market,” explains ZaiLab CEO Nour Addine Ayyoub. “This means you can operate a contact centre anywhere, anytime.”

The ZaiTruck wasn’t built to sit in a business parking lot. It has utilized its 264 gallons of onboard fuel and 55-mph top speed to travel through South Africa, Namibia, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt, Italy, Belgium (Ayyoub is Belgium-born), and the United States, landing in Las Vegas for Customer Contact Week (CCW) in June.

The ZaiTruck serves double time as a vehicle for Ayyoub’s humanitarian organization and its Voices of Humanity expedition, promoting human rights and freedoms throughout the worldwide journey.